Process direct fired heaters are super important in a lot of industrial processes, but sometimes, things can go wrong. Here’s what can cause them to fail:
- Loss of Process Flow: If the process flow stops, the tubes can get too hot and might even burst.
- Gas Burner Fuel Block Valves Acting Up: If these valves open too early or if a flameout happens during normal operation, unburned fuel can build up in the firebox and cause a big boom.
- Not Knowing How to Operate the Heater Properly: If the people operating the heater don’t know what they’re doing or if there’s not enough investment in good operating practices, things can go south.
- Material Degradation: When fired heaters and pressure vessels are operating at high temperatures, the materials can degrade and fail.
Now, let’s look at some signs that the heater isn’t working as efficiently as it should be:
- Elevated Bridgewall Temperature: If the bridgewall temperature is higher than it should be, the heater might not be performing well.
- High Stack Temperature: A high stack temperature can be a sign that the heater isn’t transferring heat to the process fluid effectively, which means the heat is being vented out instead.
- Too Much CO2 and NOx: If the heater is emitting a lot of CO2 and NOx, there might be problems with combustion.
- Not Enough Pre-heat or Steam Production: If the heater isn’t pre-heating the process fluid enough or isn’t producing enough steam, it might not be working efficiently.
- Too Much Ammonia Slip: Ammonia slip is when there’s unreacted ammonia in the flue gas of a heater. If there’s too much, it can lead to the formation of ammonium bisulfate, which can foul and corrode the heater.
